Hold Me Up
by Cosmic Moon Baby
Summary: Just a short, fluffy Zeki song-shot that takes place one night under an old maple tree. If you're allergic to fluff, I suggest staying away...


**A Zeki oneshot with plenty of fluff to go around, maybe some OOC-ness, set around "Hold Me Up" by Year of the Rabbit. **

**I don't own the characters of Vampire Knight. Matsuri Hino DOES. **

"**Hold Me Up" lyrics © Year of the Rabbit. **

~*~*~*~

He could hear footsteps growing closer, coming up behind him, though he didn't bother turning. Zero knew exactly who was attempting to sneak up behind him. She always seemed to do this when he went off to brood alone.

_**If I'm trying to be hidden,  
You still see me**_

_**If my faith has been turned into fear**_

The silver haired vampire had struggled with his own inner demons more than usual as of late, and it was all due to the fact that he'd taken something from her that he never had the right to. Yuuki had always been by his side, her gentle hands wiping the blood from his broken body when he came to the academy four years ago.

_**If my whole world is crashing,  
It won't matter  
I can keep it together if you're here**_

Since then, their relationship had become a bit awkward, mostly due to the fact that he had harbored a deeply hidden longing for his partner in crime for the past two years. Even with what he'd been through in his young life, Yuuki always managed to keep his demons at bay. None of it mattered, it seemed, as long as she was by his side. She'd sworn to him that she would be there, would be his ally always. He believed her…he believed _in_ her.

_**Cause you are the one  
Who holds me up when I come down  
You are the one who I can trust**_

"How do you always find me?" came his voice. The footsteps stopped, not far from where he sat, leaning against a tall old tree.

"I don't really know. I just…kinda' sense where you are, I guess," came her reply as she closed the space between them, sitting beside him and leaning back against the tree trunk.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her fiddling with a blade of grass between them, and he wondered why she was so fidgety.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked, turning to look at him. She admired his profile for a time, how his silver hair fell into his eyes.

"I just needed to be alone," he replied, turning to see a flush spreading across her cheeks.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I'll go," she said, hurriedly getting to her feet. She was shocked as his fingers encircled her wrist, halting her retreat. She looked down at him, her heart thumping erratically within her chest. His eyes were full as their gazes remained locked, Yuuki's breath catching in her throat.

"It's ok. You can stay, if you want," he told her, "though you really shouldn't be alone with me anymore."

_**If my **__**dreams**__** start to crumble,  
You won't worry  
If my heart starts to **__**sink**__** into fear**_

She sank to her knees beside him, his fingers releasing her wrist as he looked away, staring off into the night. His words hurt her, though he'd never know how much. She'd come to realize the ache in his heart, how he'd struggled with his own existence for the past four years. Yuuki hated that she'd not noticed his pain during their four years together. Still, even after finding out his secret, after he'd taken her blood, she'd remained by his side. She knew that there was nowhere else she'd rather be. It was her greatest wish, to protect him, to keep him sound in this chaotic world.

"You say that, but I need to be closer to you more than ever now," she told him, causing him to turn to her once more.

"Yeah? Why's that?" he wondered, surprised as she took one of his hands in both of hers.

"So you don't do anything stupid," she replied, gripping his hand as he looked down at her.

His face was stern, but his eyes were telling. In them, she saw a certain softness, something that he didn't dare share with the world. However, she knew it existed, that it was part of him despite all he'd been through, the pain he'd endured.

She was shocked to see a smile touch his lips, something she wasn't often privy to. His smiles were like treasures to her, though she'd never told him so.

"You think you have that much power over me, do you?" he asked, turning to fully face her.

She seemed angered by his remark, though her irritation faded shortly afterward as she felt his free hand touch her cheek, smoothing along her pale skin.

_**If my whole plan just shatters,  
It won't matter  
I can keep it together if you're here**_

"You care too much about me," he told her, his hand cupping her cheek. He felt the warmth of her skin beneath his palm, his heart clenching within his chest. Why did she have such an effect on him? Only she was able to bring him to this, to make him feel so stripped of his defenses.

"You think I can help it?" she asked, moving forward on her knees. He gasped as she slid her arms around him, her head coming to rest upon his shoulder.

"What are you…?"

"I want you close," she said, "so you don't try to run away. I won't let you give up."

Her heart, it seemed, knew no bounds. He couldn't help but bring his arms up around her, holding her small form against him as he looked up at the stars dotting the sky. Despite how he despised himself for what he'd become, for what he'd allowed himself to do to her, he couldn't force himself to push her away. He wanted to be by her side always, to watch over her as she'd watched over him when they were younger.

_**You are the one I can trust**_

Now she knew his secret, one he'd attempted to deny for the past four years. He'd fought against it until it had at last defeated him, and he was ashamed of himself for allowing his affliction to take him over. Still, Yuuki didn't seem to have allowed it to affect her in the least. She was still here by his side and it didn't seem as if she were going anywhere.

Zero sat there holding close the object of his hidden affection, wishing for the world to stop so the moment would be preserved forever.

"You're so stubborn," he told her, tilting her chin up with his fingers. He noticed the small smile gracing her lips, his eyes moving from them to her eyes and back again.

"Only because I have to keep up with you," she retorted, closing her eyes as the gap closed between them, their lips meeting as they sat under the mighty old maple tree, the stars shining brightly above them.

_**You are the one I can trust**_

The pair sat, lost in each other's kiss, Yuuki's mind spinning as she slowly broke away, her breaths heavy and eyes hazy as she gazed up at him. He was momentarily terrified after what he'd allowed himself to do and expected her to bolt at any moment, but to his amazement, she remained in his embrace, her eyes not leaving his.

"Don't tell me to leave you alone, because that's not something I can do," she said, slowly loosing herself from his arms as she got to her feet. She held out her small hand, and for a moment he could only stare at it. Gradually, he sighed, taking hold of it as he too got to his feet.

"Come on. We've got work to do," she told him, beginning to pull him out from beneath the tree.

He watched her as they walked, halting as she stopped, turning back to look at him.

"Will you do something for me, Zero?" she asked, taking his hand in both of hers once more. He reached out almost automatically to clear her russet hair from her face, awaiting her request.

'Anything,' he wanted to blurt, though he kept himself from it. He couldn't allow his icy exterior to melt completely, now could he?

"What?" he wondered, wishing that the circumstances surrounding them were different.

"Every night…will you kiss me? Under that tree, just like tonight?" she asked, setting his heart ablaze. It took him a moment to register what she'd asked of him, though his rational mind quickly came up for a reason to say yes. If he was there kissing her, that meant that he wouldn't be drinking her blood. That made her request easy to agree to, despite how cold he usually came off.

"You're crazy," he said, shaking his head, "but so I am."

Tilting her chin up, she leaned up on her toes, her lips touching his softly, sending flames rushing through his entire body.

All too soon, she'd pulled away, giving him a smile before taking hold of his hand once again.

"At least we can be crazy together," she said softly, before pulling him off into the night.

~*~*~*~

**FLUFF! *dies of fluff overload* Hope at least SOMEBODY enjoyed that. Be on the lookout for more Zeki oneshots and new chapters of **_**Fragile**_** and **_**Strawberry Gashes**_**! **

***Cosmic Moon Baby***


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